Global Arabic Internet Becomes A Reality
28-Oct-2013
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Special to ag-IP-news Agency
AMMAN - A new corner of the Internet completely dedicated to the Arabic language was switched on today when ‘شبكة.’ officially transitioned from concept to technical reality, joining the likes of .com, .net and .org online as the world’s first cross-border Arabic Top-Level Domain.
To mark this historic occasion, dotShabaka Registry – the Dubai-based company behind ‘شبكة.’ (.shabaka, translates to .web in English) – is today inviting expressions of interest from major brands and high profile individuals to become launch partners for ‘شبكة.’
Launch partners, typically companies or individuals who are passionate about and extremely keen on promoting an Arabic Internet, will be the first ‘شبكة.’ registrants (owners of their own domain name) able to exclusively display their affiliation with the online Arabic audience and demonstrate their commitment to embracing the Arabic Internet.
Potential partners are encouraged to register their interest with dotShabaka Registry here:
دوت-شبكة.امارات or www.dotshabaka.com. Launch partners and ambassadors of ‘شبكة.’ will be given priority during the launch phase and become pioneers of the ‘شبكة.’ cause, while general public registrations are expected to occur in the next two months.
Highlighting the importance of this milestone, Yasmin Omer, General Manager of dotShabaka Registry said, “Today marks a historic moment for the global online Arabic-speaking community. We have waited 28 years since the introduction of .com for a cross-border Arabic Top-Level Domain. This will enable an Internet experience completely in our native language.”
“We are now looking for the biggest brands and innovators within the global Arabic community to partner with us, register one of the first ‘شبكة.’ domain names and become an ambassador and leader of the Arabic Internet not just in the region but across the globe. Owning a ‘شبكة.’ domain name is investing into an Arabic Internet and we would expect to see the proudest Arabic brands take the first step, those that really want to make a difference”, added Ms. Omer.
Ms Omer said one of the goals of ‘شبكة.’ will be to empower the Arabic language on the Internet. “It is important to remember that ‘شبكة.’ is more than just a domain name, it symbolizes an ideal that represents an Arabic Internet and our future. ‘شبكة.’ will be a catalyst for expanding Arabic content on the Internet and bridging the accessibility gap.”
Today’s announcement saw ‘شبكة.’ become one of the first new domains added to the Internet as part of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ (ICANN) new Top-Level Domain program.
ARI Registry Services, one of the world’s leading Internet infrastructure providers, is dotShabaka Registry’s technology partner that is enabling today’s milestone.
dotShabaka Registry is the Internet technology company behind شبكة., the world's first cross-border Arabic Top-Level Domain. شبكة. will be one of the largest innovations in the Arabic digital landscape and will offer businesses and website registrants a targeted online channel to reach the entire Arabic speaking community online in their native language. شبكة. 'Arabic Internet, Our Future'.